Heat dissipation device

ABSTRACT

A heat dissipation device adapted for removing heat from a heat-generating electronic device, includes a base, a first fin unit arranged on a top surface of the base. The base includes a base plate, a spreader and a heat pipe group sandwiched between the base plate and the spreader. The base plate defines therein an opening. The heat pipe group has an inserting protrusion and a receiving recession opposing the inserting protrusion. The inserting protrusion protrudes upwardly from a top surface of the heat pipe group and is embedded in the opening of the base plate. The receiving recession recesses upwardly from a bottom surface of the heat pipe group and receives therein the spreader.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to heat dissipation devices, andmore particularly to a heat dissipation device for cooling aheat-generating electronic device.

2. Description of Related Art

With advancement of computer technology, electronic devices operate at ahigh speed. It is well known that the more rapidly the electronicdevices operate, the more heat they generate. If the heat is notdissipated duly, the stability of the operation of the electronicdevices will be impacted severely. Generally, in order to ensure theelectronic device to run normally, a heat dissipation device is used todissipate the heat generated by the electronic device.

Typically, the heat dissipation device comprises a base formed fromaluminum and contacting with the electronic device, a plurality of finsarranged on the base and a plurality of bent heat pipes embedded in thebase. Heat absorbed by a central portion of the base from the electronicdevice is evenly distributed over the base and then transferred to thefins to be dissipated into ambient air to positively cool down the heatelectronic device. However, the heat dissipating efficiency of the heatdissipation device is determined by heat conductivity of the base; as aresult, the base made of a material having comparatively lowconductivity such as aluminum unduly affects a performance of thedissipating efficiency of the heat dissipation device. To improve theheat dissipating efficiency, the base may be made of a material with acomparatively high conductivity such as copper; however, it wouldsignificantly add cost and weight of the heat dissipation device toreplace the whole base with a copper base. Furthermore, to embed theheat pipes in the base, the base has to be provided with correspondingreceiving grooves, thereby complicating the manufacture and increasingthe cost of the base.

What is needed, therefore, is a heat dissipation device having anoutstanding capability of heat dissipation whilst cost and weightthereof do not increase too much.

SUMMARY

A heat dissipation device adapted for removing heat from aheat-generating electronic device, includes a base, a first fin unitarranged on a top surface of the base. The base includes a base plate, aspreader and a heat pipe group sandwiched between the base plate and thespreader. The base plate defines therein an opening. The heat pipe grouphas an inserting protrusion which protrudes upwardly from a top surfaceof the heat pipe group and is embedded in the opening of the base plate,and a receiving recession which recesses upwardly from a bottom surfaceof the heat pipe group and receives therein the spreader.

Other advantages and novel features of the present invention will becomemore apparent from the following detailed description of anembodiment/embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a heat dissipation device in accordancewith a first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an assembled view of the heat dissipation device in FIG. 1,with a first fin unit of the heat dissipation device being taken awayfor clarity.

FIG. 3 is an inverted, exploded view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an assembled view of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a heat dissipation device in accordance with apreferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The heatdissipation device is adapted for removing heat from a heat-generatingelectronic device (not shown) and comprises a base 10 contacting withthe heat-generating electronic device, a first fin unit 20 arranged on atop of the base 10 and a second fin unit 30 attached to a bottom of thebase 10.

Also referring to FIG. 3, the base 10 comprises a spreader 12, a baseplate 14 and a heat pipe group 16 sandwiched between the spreader 12 andthe base plate 14. The spreader 12 is made of material with excellentheat conductivity such as copper and directly in contact with theheat-generating electronic device. It is understood that the spreader 12can be a thin plate with different shapes according to differentembodiments. In this embodiment of the present invention, the spreader12 is rectangular.

The base plate 14 is rectangular and made of material with outstandingheat conductivity such as aluminum and copper. The base plate 14 definesa rectangular opening 140 in a center thereof and has a protectingflange 142. The protecting flange 142 extends perpendicularly anddownwardly from an edge of the base plate 14 and is configured forsurrounding and protecting the heat pipe group 16 under the base plate14. The base plate 14 defines three mounting holes 144 which are locatedadjacent to the edge of the base plate 14 and spaced from each other,for receiving a downward extension of three fasteners to secure the base10 on the heat-generating electronic device.

The heat pipe group 16 consists of a plurality of flexuous heat pipes160 which have flat top surfaces and bottom surfaces opposite andparallel to the flat top surfaces. The top surfaces of the heat pipes160 are attached to a bottom surface of the base plate 14. The spreader12 and the second fin unit 30 are attached to the bottom surfaces of theheat pipes 160. All of the heat pipes 160 have elongated portions, whichare arranged closely side by side to each other in a center of bottomsurface of the base plate 14 and function as an evaporating part 162 ofthe heat pipe group 16. The evaporating part 162 has an insertingprotrusion 1622 projecting upwardly from a top surface thereof anddefines a receiving recession 1624 right under the inserting protrusion1622. Also referring to FIG. 2, the inserting protrusion 1622 isrectangular and has a flat top surface coplanar with the top surface ofthe base plate 14 when the inserting protrusion 1622 is fitly embeddedinto the opening 140 of the base plate 14. The receiving recession 1624is in complementary with the inserting protrusion 1622 and receives thespreader 12 therein. The heat pipe group 16 comprises four condensingparts 164 which extend outwardly from the evaporating part 162 andrespectively extend along corresponding adjacent edges of the base plate14 to surround the evaporating part 162.

In assembly of the base 10, the top surface of the heat pipe group 16 isattached to the bottom surface of the base plate 14 by conventionalmeans such as welding or adhering, in which the heat pipe group 16 issurrounded by the protecting flange 142 of the base plate 14; theinserting protrusion 1622 of the evaporating part 162 of the heat pipegroup 16 is embedded into the opening 140 of the base plate 14; and anupper part of the spreader 12 is received and welded in the receivingrecession 1624 of the evaporating part 162.

The first fin unit 20 is directly attached on a contacting surface whichis cooperatively formed by the top surface of the base plate 14 and theflat top surface of the inserting part 1622 of the heat pipe group 16 byconventional means such as welding or adhering. The first fin unit 20comprises a plurality of first fins 22 which are perpendicularlyarranged on the contacting surface and parallel to the two oppositesides of the base plate 14 and the elongated portion of the heat pipegroup 16. Each of the first fins 22 has a flange 220 perpendicularlybent from a lower edge thereof. All of the flanges 220 of the first finunit 20 are closely juxtaposed to each other, to thereby cooperativelydefine a continuous flat bottom surface of the first fin unit 20 whichis fixed to the contacting surface of the base 10. The first fin unit 20defines a plurality of cutouts 24 corresponding to the mounting holes144, respectively, for facilitating the extension of the fasteners.

Referring to FIGS. 3-4, the second fin unit 30 comprises a plurality ofsecond fins 32 directly attached to the bottom surface of the heat pipegroup 16 at the condensing part 164 of the heat pipe group 16 byconventional means such as welding or adhering. The second fin unit 30can have various shapes in different embodiments and is preferred to beT-shaped in this embodiment. The second fins 32 are perpendicular to thebottom surface of the heat pipe group 16 and parallel to the first fins22.

In use of the heat dissipation device, heat generated by theheat-generating electronic device is transferred to the evaporating part162 of the heat pipe group 16 through the spreader 12, then distributedto everywhere of the base plate 14 and the second fin unit 30 via thecondensing parts 164 of the heat pipe group 16, and also directlyconducted to the first fin unit 20 via the inserting protrusion 1622 ofthe evaporating part 162 of the heat pipe group 16. The heat is thusdistributed to the first and second fin unit 20, 30 efficiently todissipate into ambient air timely.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerouscharacteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been setforth in the foregoing description, together with details of thestructures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure isillustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially inmatters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principlesof the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad generalmeaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

1. A heat dissipation device adapted for removing heat from a heat-generating electronic device, comprising: a base comprising a base plate, a spreader and a heat pipe group sandwiched between the base plate and the spreader, the base plate defining an opening therein, the heat pipe group having an inserting protrusion which protrudes upwardly from a top surface of the heat pipe group and is embedded in the opening of the base plate and having a receiving recession which recesses upwardly from a bottom surface of the heat pipe group, and the spreader being received in the receiving recession; and a first fin unit arranged on a top surface of the base.
 2. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inserting protrusion has a top surface which is coplanar with a top surface of the base plate.
 3. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving recession is located under the inserting protrusion and in complementary with the inserting protrusion.
 4. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat pipe group consists of a plurality of flexuous heat pipes which have elongated portions arranged side by side to each other to define an evaporating part thereof.
 5. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the inserting protrusion is formed on a top surface of the evaporating part and opposite to the receiving recession which is formed on a bottom surface of the evaporating part.
 6. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the heat pipe group further comprises four condensing parts extending outwardly from the evaporating part along corresponding adjacent edges of the base plate to surround the evaporating part.
 7. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opening is located in a center of the base plate and has a same rectangular shape as the inserting protrusion, and the base plate has a protecting flange which extends perpendicularly and downwardly from an edge thereof and surrounds the heat pipe group under the base plate.
 8. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spreader is received in the receiving recession of the heat pipe group and has a bottom surface projecting downwardly from a bottom surface of the heat pipe group.
 9. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first fin unit is fixed to a top surface of the base plate and in a directly contact with a top surface of the inserting protrusion of the heat pipe group.
 10. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second fin unit which is attached to a bottom surface of the heat pipe group at a location beside the spreader.
 11. A heat dissipation device adapted for removing heat from a heat-generating electronic device, comprising: a base comprising a base plate, a spreader and a heat pipe group sandwiched between the base plate and the spreader, the base plate defining therein an opening, the heat pipe group having an inserting protrusion which protrudes upwardly from a top surface of the heat pipe group and is embedded in the opening of the base plate and having a receiving recession which recesses upwardly from a bottom surface of the heat pipe group, the spreader being received in the receiving recession; and a first fin unit arranged on a top surface of the base; wherein the receiving recession is located under the inserting protrusion and in complementary with the inserting protrusion.
 12. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the inserting protrusion has a top surface which is coplanar with a top surface of the base plate.
 13. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the heat pipe group consists of a plurality of flexuous heat pipes which have elongated portions arranged side by side to each other to define an evaporating part thereof.
 14. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the inserting protrusion is formed on a top surface of the evaporating part and opposite to the receiving recession which is formed on a bottom surface of the evaporating part.
 15. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the heat pipe group further comprises four condensing parts extending outwardly from the evaporating part along corresponding adjacent edges of the base plate to surround the evaporating part.
 16. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the opening is located in a center of the base plate and a the same rectangular shape as the inserting protrusion, and the base plate has a protecting flange which extends perpendicularly and downwardly from an edge thereof and surrounds the heat pipe group under the base plate.
 17. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the spreader is received in the receiving recession of the heat pipe group and has a bottom surface projecting downwardly from a bottom surface of the heat pipe group.
 18. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first fin unit is fixed to a top surface of the base plate and in a direct contact with a top surface of the inserting protrusion of the heat pipe group.
 19. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 18, further comprising a second fin unit which is attached to a bottom surface of the heat pipe group at a location beside the spreader. 